The Lighthouse's Tale
by Sartha Anne Rose
Summary: Duo reflects upon recents events in his life, as well as the people involved, while standing on a beach at dusk. One-shot.


Disclaimer: Nope, Gundam Wing isn't mine, but one of these days… Ooooh, yes, one of these days… :cackle: That, and I don't own "The Lighthouse's Tale". Nope, that is totally Nickel Creek.

AN: Just another little one-shot that I felt like writing. I get strange ideas at strange times… hm… Songfic, too.

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The Lighthouse's Tale

_I am a lighthouse_

_Worn by the weather_

_And the waves_

_I keep my lamp lit_

_To warn the sailors on their way_

Duo Maxwell stood quietly out on the shoreline of the bay, watching the sun set in the distance, entranced by the bloody rays that spilled across the land. The light reminded him of the reason he stood there that day, and he could not help but frown.

Duo Maxwell never frowned.

"Duo? Are you okay?" Hilde's voice floated to his ears on the breeze and he turned only long enough to consider her from across the beach. Her cheeks were streaked with tears, as they had been for almost four days now, and he found his entire body shifting at the sight; welcoming her into his arms silently. She complied and was soon wrapped tight, the pain between them mutual and overpowering. She cried quietly into his shoulder without thought, and he simply held her, as was his duty.

When she finally spoke again, it was a choked whisper muffled in the folds of his shirt, but he knew without question what she said: "How could they?"

Duo found himself laughing ever so softly, but the usual joy that accompanied his personality was nowhere to be seen; it had been chased away four days ago. "I don't think they had a choice, babe." The response was quiet, thoughtful, but sad nevertheless. How could they?

"There's always a choice!" An angry fist pounded down, the misguided anger in her words and voice directed now at his chest. He reached up instinctively to grip the fist and snaked his own fingers around it, staying her hand before she could deal another blow. "There's always a choice…" Her conviction ebbed as she repeated her words, returning almost immediately to her former tears. Surely, Hilde had been one of the worst hit by it all.

_I'll tell a story_

_Paint you a picture_

_From my past_

_I was so happy_

_But joy in this life seldom lasts_

He could still remember the beginning of it all, when Quatre had come to him in confidence- a confidence shared only between the former Gundam Pilots. He had been surprised, to say the least, but at the time it had seemed like nothing to worry about- an impossible outcome to already hazy guidelines.

"_A conflict?" Duo stared at the platinum-haired businessman before him, eyebrows arched with intrigue and puzzlement. Sure, there had been the usual amount of rebel uprisings since the end of the war, but that was to be expected and had never resulted in anything classified as a "conflict." At least not the "conflict" by pilot standards. This, of course, made the former Deathscythe pilot curious. "What kind of conflict?"_

"_For the moment it's nothing to worry over, but Preventers have gotten recent reports of terrorist activity around the vicinity of L1. It doesn't look good either, Duo. There are rumors…" The braided man felt himself frowning suddenly, though more out of anticipation of the results than actual anxiety. _

"_Rumors?"_

_Quatre sighed and leaned back in the large leather chair that adorned the area behind his polished cherrywood desk. "There are rumors that something's being built, Duo… Something big…" _

It had chilled his heart to hear those words at the time, but he had still been cocky, telling his friend to relax and let the "professionals" handle the problem. That, of course, meant the Preventer Organization, and, inevitably, Heero Yuy.

_I had a keeper_

_He helped me warn_

_The ships at sea_

_We had grown closer_

'_Til his joy meant everything to me_

He slowly stroked Hilde's hair, listening to her sobs while remembering the now-distant past. Heero had always fit into the equation, right from the beginning, and yet at the same time he had never fit at all. After so many years, the solitary man was still an enigma to most, and at least a mystery to some. He came and went as he pleased, but was as devoted as ever to his work and his goal: to preserve the peace everyone had fought so hard for. But he had slowly changed over time- with certain help, of course. Now, to call the Wing pilot gentle would have been underestimating him, but to call him cold was just plain wrong. If anything, Heero had become something… genuine as the years passed by. Yes, "genuine" was the perfect word for the perfect soldier.

_"I asked her today…" _

_"Ueh?"_

"_Relena, I asked her." _

"_Wha! You didn't! What'd she say?" Duo felt his violet eyes dancing in his skull as he watched the passive look on Heero's face. They were sitting on the couch in Duo's living room, the blue-eyed pilot staring at the wall while he spoke to his excited friend. Heero's expression never changed. He was too damn good at hiding his emotions, Duo decided grudgingly, but was surprised when he suddenly saw the mask break and a slow, soft smile graced the lips of the normally stoic soldier. _

"_She said ' yes…'" Duo could only gawk as Heero finally turned to look him in the eye, those Prussian orbs dancing happily. Never before had there ever been such an expression on the face of Heero Yuy. Only one person- one woman could do that to him, and Duo could only be happy for his "buddy". And, he, in his very Duo-like way, was prepared to show it, a wide grin creeping onto his features._

"_So, what did it take? Gun to the head or just a threat?" _

"_Gun." Duo blanched. _

"_Wha-" He suddenly stopped as he saw the smirk on Heero's face and the glint in his eye. He gawked. Had Heero Yuy just… made a _joke_? And suddenly they both laughed, and that was their peace with one another over the subject. Relena Peacecraft Darlian had agreed to marry Heero Yuy. _

_He was to marry_

_A girl who shown _

_With beauty and light_

_And they loved each other_

_And with me watched the sunsets into night._

It had been an honor of sorts to watch the couple dance around each other after Heero's proposal. There had been no end to the gentle smiles and embarrassed blushes appearing on Relena's face, not to mention Heero's sudden lack of concentration. More than once, to Duo's own delight and Heero's growing irritation, he had managed to purposely trip the Preventer numerous times while simply walking together down the hallways when his fiancée was passing by. Watching the Perfect Soldier fall flat on his face had most definitely been the highlight of his millennium.

And then there were the moments that were simply precious to all of them…

"_Duo, you really shouldn't tease him so much. You know what Heero's pride means to him," Hilde scolded with a soft, playful smile. She found it as hilarious as he did, Duo was sure of that, but nevertheless Hilde was Relena's closest friend and would stand by the silly man who refused to crack a smile. _

"_Aww, but that's no fun, babe! You saw the Princess, she thinks it's a riot!" He laughed lightly and leaned back in the sand of the beach they were perched upon. "I don't think I've ever seen her laugh so hard as the first time, and it just gets better each try. You know I almost got him to fall into the pool when I told him I noticed she was getting changed-"_

"_Duo!" Hilde laughed incredulously and elbowed him harshly in the stomach before rolling over to lay against his sprawled form. "Really… Let them have their time. They barely ever get to see each other as it is, much less spend quality time alone. Times like this won't last forever when you're protecting the world." _

_Both gazes turned to look down the beach to where the waves were crashing beneath a silhouette of darkness and radiant sunlight. There, two shapes were sitting just barely beyond the waves, side-by-side and so close that it was hard to distinguish one shadow from another in the brilliantly dying light. _

_As he watched, Duo could see the distinct shift as the smaller of the two shadows disappeared slightly beneath the shoulder of the larger, followed by the almost imperceptible sweep of an arm as it pulled the two shadows even closer together. He knew exactly how they would have looked without the sunset: Relena with her head against Heero's chest, his arm instinctively pulling her body to his. It was their favorite way to sit when no one (or almost no one) was watching. To them, it was simple. To them, it was perfect._

"…_They look good together, don't they?" _

_He smiled._

"_Yeah… Perfect."_

_And the waves crashing around me_

_The sand slips out to the sea_

_And the winds that blow remind me_

_Of what has been_

_And what can never be._

It had been a sunset just like the one they were watching now, and he found himself bitterly happy for those moments. The very life that came from the water and air around them was enough to make a man live forever. And when it came to the two people who already held such a trait, it made them immortal.

At least in memory.

At least in heart.

_She'd had to leave us_

_My keeper, he prayed for a safe returned_

_But when the night came_

_The weather to a raging storm _

_Had turned_

"_Heero, don't be silly, it'll only be for a few days. I'll get everything sorted out, and then I'll be back," he heard her tell the scowling man. They were standing at the airport, the plane prepared to depart as soon as it's precious cargo was aboard- the same precious cargo that was trying at the moment to persuade her fiancé to let her leave. Heero was being as stubborn as ever. _

"_Something doesn't feel right. I don't like this situation." A typical response from the not-so-typical soldier. Duo watched wordlessly as she only smiled sadly at him._

"_I know, I don't like it either, but I have to do this, Heero. There are people counting on me." Heero's scowl deepened considerably. He knew she was right, but he'd never admit it. Instead, the couple drew closer to each other, one of Relena's hands reaching out to play with the collar of his jacket. "Wait here for me. I'll be back soon enough. I need you to keep things in line here while I deal with whatever is out there. I need to know you're here doing what I can't." It was a line mothers fed to their children when they were going to receive cancer treatment, but Heero simply nodded in compliance. What else could he do? _

_It was with a smile and a wave that she boarded the plane._

They had not known what to expect back then. They had all thought it to be just another ruffle in the feathers of peace, a dispute that could and would be put down with a few swift words and bright smiles from the Vice Foreign Minister. That was how it had always gone. Somewhere along the way of peace they had started to underestimate their enemies, but they had always taken care of it before. What _couldn't_ five former Gundam pilots and the Queen of the World do?

"_I want you out of there now. We'll come and take care of it, you can't do any more for the situation," Heero said into the vidscreen, frowning at the frustrated face of Relena Darlian. _

"_I'm on my way now. The shuttle just left the colony. Heero, this is bigger than we thought. There's a weapon- something massive that they've been building for years now. I don't know if-" They all held their breathes as she suddenly stopped speaking, her eyes growing wide and looking elsewhere. "Oh my god…" _

"_Relena?" _

"_H-Heero…" Suddenly, there was an explosion behind her, and all went dark across the screen. _

"_Relena!"_

_He watched her ship fight_

_But in vain_

_Against the wild and terrible wave_

_In me, so helpless_

_As dashed against the rocks she met her end._

A particularly large sob on Hilde's part caused Duo to shift the bawling girl in his arms, his gaze fixated on the sunset until it hurt. That had been the breaking point for them all. All hell had broken loose from that point onwards.

"_I want a picture of what's going on, NOW!" Duo had never heard Heero raise his voice the way he did at the moment- or, to be more exact, he had never heard Heero Yuy bellow. Needless to say, it sent the Preventers running to accomplish his demand, the frantic tap of keyboards filling the room as all tasks were set on finding the Vice Foreign Minister at that very moment. When a picture was finally brought up on the main COMscreen, gasps replaced the tap-tap-tap of computers. _

"_What… is it?" He couldn't identify who asked the question, but it was the one on all their minds. There, plastered in front of them, was a ship- at least he thought it was a ship- that glittered like the stars around it, and there, an almost unnoticeable dot amongst the mass of black reflective metal, was the wrecked shuttle of the Vice Foreign Minister. _

_The room was silent. _

_Then, there was a pulse of light from amidst the sea of stars and the picture died. _

"_Sir, we've lost the satellite and all contact with the Vice Minister's shuttle…" _

_Nothing could describe the expression on Heero's face at that moment._

_And the waves crashing around me_

_The sand slips out to the sea_

_And the winds that blow remind me _

_Of what has been_

_And what can never be._

"_Heero! Heero, wait until we have a team together!" He raced after the dark-haired man as he ran through Preventer hallways. He knew exactly what was on Heero's mind at that moment. "Heero, you can't go out there on your own. You don't have you Gundam anymore!" Duo tried desperately to get stop him, but it all failed as he stepped into the docking bay and through the openings of one of the battle cruisers- left over from the wars for cases just like this. He turned in the doorway to consider his friend, that horrible, unbearable expression still painting his normally stoic features. _

"_I have to go, Duo." He started to turn, ready to blast off right then._

"_Heero, it's _suicide_!"_

"_...I know." And then he was gone, swallowed up inside the ship._

_Then on the next day_

_My keeper found her washed up _

_On the shore_

_He kissed her cold face_

_That they'd be together soon he'd swore_

It had been the hardest decision he had ever made- to let Heero leave alone to go retrieve the one woman who made his world turn. Even now, he was not sure why he had not jumped on the ship with his friend at that very moment, but facts were facts. Instead, he had kept contact with Heero the entire time, up until the very moment he had found her. Half the Preventers staff, including Lady Une and the other Gundam pilots, had watched as he retrieved Relena from space.

_He almost wrenched the hatch off of its hinges in his need to get to her. The small escape pod he had found was battered and sparking, almost in pieces even as he opened it. The damage was critical- it was now just a heap of scrap- but he took no time to consider this as he reached in a gently retrieved something red and white from the mess and debris, something with blond hair and pale, bloodied features. _

_Relena._

_His words were so softly spoken that no one could hear them, but Duo was sure he could read the movement in his lips, the smallest murmur as she shifted in his arms, blinked up at him, and smiled painfully before sighing out her final breath. _

"I love you_." _

_I saw him cryin'_

_Watched as he buried her_

_In the sand_

_And then he climbed my tower_

_And off the edge of me he ran_

They had all seen him carry her back to the pilot's seat, cradled like a porcelain doll in his arms as he sat down. He had kept his eyes hidden for them all, but Duo knew that it had all snapped with that last breath. Maybe, if Heero were any other man, he might have been crying.

_"I'm going to take out the enemy."_

_It was the only thing he said before he shut off all communications._

It was not until the entirety of space was rocked by an explosion that they knew what happened, the follow-up reports telling all about a kamikaze pilot in an old battle cruiser who had actually permeated past all defenses of the massive battleship only to detonate itself within one of the ship's own guns, setting off a chain reaction of destruction. The pilot had single-handedly ended a war before it even began, planned from a time even before the Eve Wars.

_And the waves crashing around me_

_The sand slips out to the sea_

_And the winds that blow remind me _

_Of what has been_

_And what can never be._

Duo sighed and slowly pulled Hilde away from him, motioning back towards the boardwalk that stretched out behind them. She could only nod in agreement, letting him curl an arm around her shoulders as they began to walk off together. The funeral- closed and empty caskets, of course- was today, and half of space and Earth had showed up to honor the two people who had protected them through all else. He had only stopped to look out one last time at that beach they had come to cherish.

_I am a Lighthouse_

_Worn by the weather _

_And the waves_

_And though I'm empty_

_I still warn the sailors on their way._

He wouldn't be back again.

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AN: Sad, I know, and a bit of a strange ending. Hope you enjoyed it. 


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